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No heroes or clean hands in S. Ossetia

(Lesterblog update)

(I would have edited the wording of some sentences that were more pertinent to Lesterblog but every such sentence included an important link, so I decided RS readers don’t need a further explanation of a cross-post, anyway.

BTW, I forgot that RS 3.0 was imminent when I disappeared a couple weeks back. I like it.)

This weekend’s rapidly escalating fighting in the former Soviet republic of Georgia is absolutely appalling. Saakashvili’s irresponsible and disastrous offensive to retake South Ossetia has provoked a predictably heavy-handed Russian retaliation. Both sides seem to be indiscriminately shelling and bombing civilian areas for (apparently) no greater cause than ethnocentric identity.

Things weren’t looking good for the next US president’s foreign policy, anyway, with Obama advised by Brzezinski and McCain advised by Scheunemann, we were already looking at needless antagonism of Russia, which would set back future energy supply farther than new domestic drilling could ever make up for, among other important considerations. Now Russia’s hand has been forced and the whole thing is just a sorry spectacle for all.

For better elaboration on my under-attributed submission, I think I most favor Anne Applebaum’s take on the whole scenario.

BTW, I have added A Secondhand Conjecture to the blogroll because that’s been the best blog roundup of South Ossetia news and views I’ve found tonight.